Refrigerator cabinet construction



W. R. HOWARD V REFRIGERATOR CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed June 17, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 1 IIIIII'II'IIIIIIIIIIIIIA 1,,

'Nov. 28, 1944.

W. R. HOWARD REFRIGERATOR CABINET CONSTRUCTION Filed June 17, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 28, 1944 REFRIGERATOR CABINET CONSTRUCTIONWallace Ray Howard, Connersville, Ind., assignor to Rex Manufacturing00., Inc., Conner-sville, Ind.

Application June 17, 1940, Serial No. 341,040

1 Claim. 01. 220-9) This invention relates to refrigerator cabinets,

particularly to that portion or a cabinet where the spaced outer andinner walls have their marginal edges joined or connected innon-heat-conducting relation-and which is generally around the foodcompartment and the outer edge or boundary of the door.

An object of the invention is to provide an im-' proved combined breakerand trim or finish strip and coasting wall construction applicable toboth the cabinet and door, which materially contributes to simplicityand economy in cabinet manufacture while at the same time maintainingdurability and a high degree of thermal efliciency.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type ofbreaker strip also functioning as a trim or finish strip, which may beeasily and quickly applied to the spaced marginal edges of the outer andinner walls of the cabinet and which results in favor andsimpler partsand consequently less expense in manufacture of the cabinet.

Another object oi! the invention is to provide a breaker strip of the"snapn" type so constructed as to facilitate its manufacture fromcertain desirable materials, particularly material capable of beingextruded through a die to obtain the desired shape.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will become apparent inview of the following description taken in conjunction with thedrawings, wherein:

Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, comprises an outer wall or shell l having itsouter marginal portion shaped to provide an overlapping edge Ma and thentumed inwardly at I02), and an inner wall or door pan s I I having itsmarginal edge overlapping the edge 10b of. the outer wall and connectedto the latter by means of screws or the like with a door gasket l2interposed therebetween.

The cabinet proper comprises an outer wall or shell l3 having an intumedmarginal edge Ba, and an inner wall or food compartment liner l4 havingan inturned marginal edge or flange a complementary to the flange 13a ofthe outer wall l3. l

The improved combined breaker and-trim strip is generally indicated at5, note particularly Fig. 3, and comprises a strip of relatively thinsheet material having its opposite edges shaped to provide longitudinalhook-shaped channels or grooves I I8 and lid, the body portion of thestrip preterably being bowed outwardly to facilitate mounting of thestrip. This strip may be made of sheet material of relatively thin crosssection to reduce heat conductivity. The material should also have agood insulation value. In actual practice, cellulose acetate materialsuch as that sold under the trade name of Tenite has proved highlysatisfactory. Since the strip has a uniform cross section throughout itslength, it may be readily extruded. The material should embody a certainFig. 1 is a view in perspective of a refrigerator cabinet constructedin-accordance with the feat-- tures of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transversesection taken substantially on the line 2-4 oiFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the improved combined breakerand trim strip or member;

Fig. 4 is a view in face elevation of one of the upper corner portions01' the cabinet;

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the to both the door and thecabinet; and

Figs. 7 and 9. are sectional views showing modifications in structure.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a refri erator cabinet .isgenerally indicated at C in Fig.

1 and has a door D ailording access to the food compartment 0 andanother door (1 affording access to the machinery department.

The door in the type 01 cabinet illustrated in amount of spring orresiliency so that when the strip is applied, it may be deformed tocause the edges or channels to and I811 to engage the coacting flangeslid and Ma of the outer and inner walls of the cabinet, and whenreleased will snugly engage said edges.

There are preferably tour strips i5 used to connect the outer and innerwalls around. the door opening, each strip being substantially straight40 throughout its-length. The contiguous end edges of the strips]may bejoined by corner plates or brackets l1, note Fig.- 4, the edges of thestrip being connected to said bracket by means of screws or'analogousfastenings I8. In this manner, the strips i5 constitute a completeconnected improved combined trim and breaker strip applied the lattermay be connected at each comer of the food compartment by means ofbrackets 3,. one

5 of which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

It will be noted that this type of breaker strip and trim memberobviates the use. of wood or analogous framework. The-outer and innerwalls [3 and I4 may be of the usual sheet metal construction, or theouter wall of sheet metal and the food compartment liner M of moldablematerial having a high insulating value. .Fig. 6 shows the combinedbreaker and trim strip applied to both the door and the cabinet. In thisinstance, the outer wall of the cabinet is indicated at 20, the innerwall or f ood compartmcnt liner at 2! and the trim strip connectingthese liners at I511. The door outer wall or shell is indicated at 22,the inner wall or door pan at 23 and the combined trim and breaker stripconnecting these walls at I512. The strips Mia. and. l5b may be similarto the strip IS in Fig. 3 and applied in a likemannerf The outer andinner Walls of the, door are shown connected and reinforced at thecorners by brackets, one of which is shown in dotted-lines at 24.

In Fig. 7 the same shape of combined trim and breaker strip may beusedas in the previous installations, the strip being indicated at 15c.

However, in this instance the outer and inner walls, indicated at 25 and26, are insulated from the channels of the strip'lSc by means of gasketsor gasket material 21 permitting the strip to be made of sheet metal. InFig. 8 a modified type of breaker strip and trim member is shown andgenerally indicated at 30. In this instance, the strip is formed withan' outwardly facing longitudinal channel or groove 3| at its oppositeedge. The outer wall or shell of the cabinet, indicated at 33, has itsmarginal edge doubled back upon itself providing an'inwardly facingchannel 34 in which the tongue 32 engages, while the inner wall or. foodcompartment liner 35 is formed with an inturned flange which engages inthe groove 3| of the strip. It will be noted that this strip is nonuniform in transverse cross section and is therefore better adapted forfabrication from Bakelite, phenolic condensate or like material capableof being molded in contradistinction to extrusion, rolling or pressingto ob ain the desired shape. The door at Fig. R comprises an outer wallor shell 36 and an inner wall or door pan walls of the cabinet and doormay be adopted to obtain the desired results without departing and saidbreaker strip when so attached to the flanges remaining in a state oftension in an arc and projecting outwardly from said flanges.

WALLACE RAY HOWARD.

